80 Years of Remorse
by driver picks the music
Summary: 80 years after he was dropped in the ocean, a certain hybrid washed up on the beach... "Well Klaus," she said as if he could hear her "I might as well get you inside before someone sees us." She said as she dragged him along the sand to her backdoor.


**Spoilers for 3x21...you've been warned...**

**So how crazy was the last episode? I can not wait for tomorrow...  
**

**I know Klaus will seem pretty ooc here, but that's the point of the story...thanks or reading, I hope you enjoy. I know I had a lot of fun writing it.  
**

**Also...I can't remember if they said they were dropping Klaus in the Pacific or the Atlantic...so for this story, it was the Pacific...  
**

* * *

Caroline opened the door to her deck and stepped out into the moonlight. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, never tiring of the smell of the ocean. She slowly made her way to the sand and walked along the edge of the water. This was her favorite time of the day, when everyone else was at home, snug in their beds, and she was alone with her thoughts.

She stopped and looked out over the water, letting the tide wash against her legs, until she felt something brush her feet and she looked down. Caroline gasped and took a step back when she saw the fingers sticking out of the sand.

"Oh come on Caroline," she said to herself "You're a 100 year old vampire; you've seen dead things before." She reminded herself before reaching down, grabbing the hand and giving it a tug. And sure enough, an arm was attached along with a shoulder, and as she kept pulling she realized that it was a whole body, a man, buried in the sand. She turned the body over to see his face and she dropped the hand.

"You have got to be kidding me." She said as she gazed at the face of the man that had caused so much grief for her and her friends almost 80 years ago. Caroline sighed and shook her head before reaching down and grabbing his hand once again.

"Well Klaus," she said as if he could hear her "I might as well get you inside before someone sees us." She said as she dragged him along the sand to her house and through the sliding glass door.

…..

Caroline looked at Klaus. She had left him lying on the floor in front of her couch as she went to the kitchen to fetch a bag of blood. She looked at her hand and watched the red liquid slosh around in the bag, before turning her eyes, once again, to the hybrid on the floor.

She shook her head "This is crazy, what am I doing? I should just dump him back in the water…very far into the water, never to be seen again."

Caroline knew that she should, she knew that the smart thing would be to act like this whole night had never happened, which is why what happened next was just as surprising to her as it would have been to anyone who knew the kind of havoc this man had caused. But be that as it may, Caroline still found herself kneeling beside him as she let the blood drip onto his lips, just a few drops. Just enough to wake him up.

…..

Klaus tasted the blood. He needed the blood. He could feel his body screaming for the blood. He fought, with everything in him, to get his tongue to move enough to lick the blood from his lips. He felt it, those few drops, all the way to his toes.

After a few more drops hit his lips, he managed to crack his eyelids, blinded momentarily by the harsh light. After a few blinks he focused and saw her face staring down at him.

She held the bag to his mouth and helped him take a mouthful before pulling it away. Klaus closed his eyes as he swallowed, wondering if she would still be there when he opened them again.

She was.

"Caroline."

…

Caroline helped him sit up, but didn't give him any more blood, not yet. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with him, she was just flying by the seat of her pants at the moment.

"How long?" he asked.

Caroline knew what he was talking about "About 80 years." She said.

Klaus nodded "Where are we?"

"California." She said, glancing out the window to the water that waited there. "After Bonnie preformed the spell that stopped you, the Salvatore's dropped you in the pacific."

Klaus was quiet for a moment, thoughtful "How did I come to be in your living room love?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

Caroline smirked, giving a humorless chuckle "You washed up on my shore, believe it or not."

Klaus raised his brows but didn't say anything. Caroline sighed and gave him a shot of blood. Just enough to keep him going, not enough to give him any kind of strength.

"And where are the Salvatore's these days?" he asked as he handed her the empty glass.

Caroline shrugged "I'm not sure at the moment; it's been 2 years since I last heard from either of them." She said, not offering up any more information.

Klaus nodded once again "Elena? Did she ever make her choice?"

Caroline nodded "Yes, she did." She said, not giving him anymore than that.

Klaus took in the room, and noticed a decided lack of another hybrid but decided that it was best not to push her with too many questions at the moment. Except one question, that he had to ask, the one that she has been waiting on.

"Why? Why did you wake me up, why not just put me back in the water and leave me?"

Caroline looked him in the eye, for the first time since he opened them, and sighed "I really wish I knew."

….

Over the next few days Klaus came to find out that his brothers and sister were gone, all of them except Elijah, the one that the doppelganger had a soft spot for. Caroline told him the stories of how they were all hunted down and staked by that infernal history teacher. She told him how they had all let him do it after finding out that Klaus had been telling the truth about their bloodline.

Caroline told him how after Elijah got away Elena had made the decision to let him go and take down Alaric. She told him how they almost lost that fight, but Bonnie had pulled them through in the end, and he was in the Atlantic right now.

He also learned that it was in their pursuits of the original family that Tyler met an unfortunate end. Kol ripped his heart out before he could get away, it was only moments later that Caroline got away and Alaric staked him.

He found out that since then they have all been living as peaceful of lives as vampires can, until now. Now he was back and she had to figure out what to do with him.

"I mean, I can't just keep you chained up in my basement, now can I, someone is bound to notice sooner or later."

…

He moved into her guest room. It wasn't much, but it was better than the basement, which was better than the ocean, so he wasn't going to complain. Much.

They went shopping once, to get him some clothing and the basic necessities. That's when she told him about Elena.

"It was a few years after you were gone, Elijah had gotten away and we stopped Alaric, Elena made her choice. At first she said that she couldn't pick either of them, that it would damage their brotherly bond too much and destroy them, but then I reminded her that she couldn't really take to heart anything that you had told her, and she picked one."

Caroline stopped walking and handed him a shirt "Here, this will go nicely with those pants we got before." She said as he took the shirt from her.

"Anyway, after arguing with herself over the decision for a while, she realized that while she felt like she needed them both, she truly didn't want to live without Damon."

Klaus raised his brows, he had been sure, like so many others, that she would choose Stefan in the end.

Caroline nodded when she saw the look on his face "I know, I was surprised, but she said that she's lived without Stefan, and she knew that she could do it again, but that Damon was her rock, he was the one that pushed her to be better than herself, just like she pushed him, he was always there for her, even when he was the bad guy, he was still there for her, loving her the whole time even when he didn't think he had a chance with her. And she loved him."

Caroline turned to him "They were together for about a year, and then he changed her. She never had any kids, the bloodline stopped with her. There will never be another doppelganger. There will never be anymore hybrids." She said and waited to see his reaction.

Klaus thought it over for a few minutes in silence, then he nodded "That's good, good for them." He said, surprising them both "And Stefan? What happened to him?"

"He said he was happy for them, but he left town, they all stay in touch, but Damon and Elena go their separate way and leave him alone until he reaches out to them."

Klaus nodded again as he loaded the back of her car with his new items. He was sad for his onetime brother, and hopped that he could someday find the happiness that he deserved.

…..

They were sitting on the deck, the sun was setting and they both had a book in hand. Caroline was reading _Gone with the Wind, _for the hundredth time, and Klaus was reading _Moby Dick_. They did the same thing every night at this time, as long as Caroline's schedule allowed her the free time. Klaus seems content to sit and read or watch the water or her, sometimes he watches the television, but he never leaves. She's always sure that when she comes home late at night that he'll be gone, back to wreaking havoc, but he's usually sleep in his room, or sitting on the deck.

They don't talk much, they both seem comfortable with the silence, so it's a bit of a surprise when he puts his book down and starts talking.

"You know, when you daggered an original, it was like they stopped, they couldn't think or dream or feel anything. It was as if they ceased to exist. They could be half way through a thought when the dagger went in, and finish the thought as if no time had passed when the dagger was removed."

He stopped talking for a moment, just watching the water, and Caroline put her book in her lap and turned towards him.

"It's not like that when you're become desiccated. At first you feel everything; you feel your heart stop the blood in your veins as it stops beating. You feel your body shut down. You can feel the water all around you. You can think, and all you can think about for a time, is the pain and agony that your body is in.

"Time moves so differently, you don't know, can't be sure, how much time has passed, but you don't think about that, instead you think about the people that did this to you, the ones that put you here. And you think about all the different ways that you would kill them if you could."

Klaus paused here and looked at her "All of them." He said, letting her know she was among the people he was speaking of.

"But that train of thought becomes maddening, and you can feel yourself slipping away, so you change directions, you start to think about yourself and all the different things that you've done to get to where you are. All the things you could have done differently. All the things you would do differently if you could change them."

He paused again and took a few steading breaths "And you realize that you brought this upon yourself, that it wasn't you that was doing the right thing all that time, it was everyone else doing the right thing, by making sure you ended up right where you were."

Klaus looked at her again and shrugged one shoulder "And then you go to sleep, and you don't think anymore." He finished, sitting quietly for a moment before picking his book back up.

…

After that Caroline stopped waiting for him to leave. She started spending more time with him, talking to him and getting to know this new remorseful Klaus.

"What do you do when you leave all day?" he asked her one night as they sat together, on the couch this time, the T.V. playing softly in the background.

Caroline shrugged "I schmooze; I make sure that my investments are good ones, I'm building my fortune, so that I can be that rich vampire that has everyone wrapped around their finger." She said with a small laugh.

Klaus chuckled "Caroline love, you don't need money to do that, you've always been good at that." He said, cocking his head to one side and studying her for a moment.

She was a little thrown, he rarely said her name, and since she woke him up, he'd made sure to keep the loves and sweethearts to a minimum.

…

Caroline walked into the living room and laughed when she saw Klaus sitting on his knees in the middle of the floor with pieces of the new shelves she had recently bought, scattered around him, as he frowned at the piece of paper in his hand, and muttered to himself.

"Oh for the love of…you're over a thousand years old…you can put together a shelf…"

Caroline watched him for a few moments before deciding to give him a hand "Would you like some help with that?" she asked, coming over to sit beside him. She took the paper from his hands "Ok, I think we need that piece over there." She said, pointing to a piece on the floor in front of him.

…

Caroline stood in the doorway and watched him as he watched the wave's crash along the shore. He had been standing out there for over an hour and she was starting to get worried.

"Hey." She said, coming to stand beside him, leaning on the wooden rail. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Klaus shook his head slightly "Nothing really." He said.

Caroline nodded, but didn't make a move to leave. Klaus stood quietly for a few more minutes before speaking.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to be all alone in the world? To not have any family?" he asked. Caroline shook her head. Even though her blood relations have long since died, she still had her friends who she considered family.

Klaus turned to look at her "You would think that after a thousand years of your family not wanting you around, you'd be used to it by now." He said before turning and walking back into the house.

…

"Time to pack." Caroline said as she walked in the front door. Klaus was walking in the sliding door, having just come from a run on the beach. Caroline's words stopped him in his tracks. Of course, it was foolish of him to think that she would want to let him stay, foolish to think she might like to have him around.

"Right, of course." He said.

Caroline looked at him and cocked her head to the side, he sounded funny, something wasn't right. Then she realized what she had said, and how he must have taken it.

"No, I mean for both of us, it's time for us to both move on, leave here." She walked up to him and smiled "Together."

Klaus looked at her, the relief he was trying to hide showing in his eyes, and he smiled "Right, of course." He said again, only this time it sounded so much lighter.

Caroline reached for his hand "Help me pack?"

Klaus nodded.

….

"I'll see you when I get back right, you'll be here?" Caroline asked Klaus as she prepared to leave the apartment. It wasn't a beach house, but the new apartment had a wonderful view from the balcony where they liked to spend their evenings at home.

Klaus nodded as he handed her a jacket "Yes, I was thinking of going out for a little while, but if I do I shouldn't be gone long, I'll be here."

Caroline smiled and leaned forward and kissed his cheek "Ok, I'll see you later, wish me luck." She said as she hurried out the door.

Klaus lifted a hand and touched his cheek "Good luck." He called after her.

He wondered if she even realized what she did. That was the first time she had ever kissed him, friendly or otherwise.

…

"Caroline!" Elena's voice rang out as Caroline made her way across the plaza to where her best friend was sitting.

"Elena, Damon." She said with a smile "It's good to see you guys."

Damon smirked at her "Hey Blondie."

Caroline rolled her eyes with a smile at the older vampire, before wrapping her arms around Elena "It's been too long you guys."

Elena nodded "I know, how long has it been this time? 6, 7 years now?"

Caroline nodded "Yeah, 7, almost 8 actually." She shook her head "I'm sure so much has happened that we want to tell each other." She said, feeling slightly nervous for the first time.

Elena nodded "Yeah, of course." She shared a look with Damon and Caroline narrowed her eyes "What?" she asked the pair.

Elena smirked "We might have heard from a friend of a friend that you were living with some guy in California, and that he moved here with you." She raised her brows "Who is he, what's he like and when can we meet him?"

Caroline took a deep breath and let it out slowly "Well, I'm not sure when you'll get the chance to meet him, he's doing his own thing today, but when you do see him, he's not what you would expect. He's kind and thoughtful and he's generous, and he's always thinking of me before himself. When I first met him, he wasn't any of those things, but he's grown, he's changed. He's a good person."

Elena smiled "Wow Caroline, it sounds like you really care about him."

Caroline nodded "Yeah, he's probably my best friend."

"Where'd you meet him?" Damon asked, joining in on the conversation.

Caroline shrugged "I actually met him years ago, but then one night I saw him on the beach outside my house in California."

Elena wanted to know more "What's he look like?"

Caroline smiled "He's got gorgeous blue eyes that, as much as he may try to hide, show his every emotion. And when he smiles, he's got these dimples that give him this little boy look, makes you want to just give him a hug." She said, not wanting to give away too much about the man that they all knew so long ago until she was sure they were ready to hear it.

"Wow." Elena said.

Caroline raised her brows "What?"

Elena smiled "You're really in love with him aren't you?"

Caroline didn't know what to say. She sat in stunned silence. Damon and Elena exchanged a confused look "Blondie?" Damon tried to get her attention.

"Caroline." He said, leaned forward "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Caroline finally answered "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked at Elena "You're right, I do love him." She said as she stood from the table.

Elena looked confused once again "Where are you going?"

Caroline smiled "To find Klaus, so I can tell him." She said before turning and walking away, leaving a very stunned couple behind. "What!"

…

Caroline walked through the front door to their apartment "Klaus are you here?" she called out. He answered from the balcony.

"Out here sweetheart."

Caroline smiled and moved to the sliding glass door "Hey." She said as she sat down in the chair beside him.

Klaus smiled at her "How did it go? You weren't gone very long."

Caroline shrugged "We talked; they heard I've been living with some guy."

Klaus chuckled "Some guy? What did you tell them?"

"I told them that I was, and Elena wanted to know all about him, what he was like, what he looked like, when and where did I meet him." She said as she picked up his glass of blood and took a swig.

"So I told them all about him, and Elena said that it sounded like I was really in love with him, and I told her she was right." Caroline said as she handed the glass back to him.

Klaus took the glass and sat it down, not sure he heard her right "You love him?"

Caroline nodded "Very much. I didn't even realize how much until Elena pointed it out."

Klaus turned in his chair and scooted closer to her "You love me?"

Caroline nodded again "Yes." She said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

She turned so she was facing him and scooted forward until their knees were touching "I don't expect you to say it back, I just wanted you to know that you're not alone anymore, there's someone that cares about you, and wants you."

Klaus didn't know what to say. Yes he believes he loves her, but it's been so long since he told another person that, that he was scared to say the words aloud.

So instead of words, he wanted to show her how he felt. He leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to hers.

When he leaned back her eyes where still closed and he smiled "I've wanted to do that for 80 years." He said.

Caroline smiled and opened her eyes "If I'm being honest, so have I." she said.

Klaus raised his brows "Really?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

Caroline nodded "I always kind of wondered what it might be like, I always kind of wondered why you never tried."

Klaus shrugged "I never wanted to force anything on you, even back then, I wanted you to want me yourself."

Caroline smiled "I do now." She said, leaning forward.

Klaus met her half way. They had done enough talking, for now they had better use for their lips.

….

**14 years later**

Klaus woke up to an empty bed. A quick look around the house showed him that Caroline wasn't home. That was unusual, normally she was the last one up, not ever wanting to get out of bed before noon.

He was just about to head to the shower when he spotted the note on the kitchen counter.

_Klaus,_

_Shower, dress and be ready to leave the house by 11:30. A car will be waiting for you when you're ready. The driver will take you where you need to go, don't ask questions, he's been compelled to now answer you._

_I'll be waiting for you._

_I love you._

_Caroline_

At 11:32 he was sitting in the back of a black town car wondering what the crazy women he was in love with had gotten him into now.

…

When he got to the airport there was another letter waiting for him.

_Klaus,_

_Get on the plain, sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride._

_I'll be waiting for you_

_I love you_

_Caroline_

Klaus rolled his eyes and folded the letter up and stuck it into his pocket with the first one.

….

When the pain landed there was another car and a letter waiting for him

_Klaus,_

_You should know the drill by now_

_I'll be waiting for you_

_I love you_

_Caroline_

He got in the car and sat quietly while the driver drove him through downtown LA. He didn't know why, but he knew that she was leading him back to the house she had lived in all those years ago when she found him on the beach.

…..

Klaus walked down the beach to her. Caroline was standing at the water's edge, letting the waves wash over her feet. She turned to him and smiled as he came to a stop beside her.

"Hi." She said.

Klaus smiled at her "Hi."

Caroline took his hand "Do you happen to know what today is?"

"Very odd?" he asked.

Caroline laughed "No, well yes, but not just that." She looked out at the water "It was 100 years ago today that the Salvatore brothers put you into the water."

She felt him stiffen slightly, but she only put a hand on his arm "And it's almost 20 years to the day that I pulled you back out."

Klaus looked at her, surprised that so much time had passed when it felt like yesterday.

Caroline looked down at the sand, "I was standing right here when you reached out and grabbed me." She said. She shrugged at the confused look on his face "At least, that's how it seemed, the water washed the sand away and my foot touched your hand."

Klaus nodded with a smile. Caroline turned to look at him once again, "It's been almost 20 years, and I thank God every day that I was standing here that night."

Klaus wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side "That night, when I opened my eyes and saw you, that was the first time in a thousand years that I felt like I truly had something to be thankful for. I'll never be able to express to you the depth of my gratitude." He said.

Caroline reached a hand up and laid it on his cheek "I love you." She said.

Klaus smiled "I love you."

As their lips met, Klaus felt a strange sense of gratitude to the Salvatore brothers. If they had not dropped him into that water so long ago, who knows what would have happened to him. By trying to be rid of him forever, they saved him, made him realize he had to change his ways if he ever hoped to be worthy of the lovely creature in his arms.


End file.
